Current medical research and opinion
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Guidelines recommend primary prophylactic use of colony-stimulating factor (PP-CSF) when risk of febrile neutropenia (FN) - based on chemotherapy and patient risk factors - is high. Whether and how PP-CSF use may have changed over time (e.g. due to guideline revisions, increasing use of myelosuppressive regimens, controversy regarding inappropriate CSF use), and whether there has been a concomitant change in the incidence of FN, is unknown. ⋯ Although the use of PP-CSF is commonplace in current US clinical practice, underutilization in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy regimens with an intermediate/high risk for FN may still be an issue. Use of same-day PP-CSF increased markedly from the end of 2015, although this finding reflects (at least in part) increased uptake of pegfilgrastim delivered via an on-body injector as well as the recent change in clinical practice guidelines. Overall, patients receiving PP-CSF appear to have a lower risk of FN during the first cycle of chemotherapy.
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The Longitudinal Health Insurance Database (LHID) 2010 was used to identify gout cases and their number of gout flares. ⋯ In conclusion, patients with frequent gout flares had higher healthcare utilization and gout-related healthcare costs. Colchicine + NSAIDs are commonly used therapy for gout flare.
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Comparative Study
How does the Cox maze procedure compare? Cost-effectiveness analysis of alternative treatments of atrial fibrillation.
Data related to the cost effectiveness of surgical interventions and catheter ablation is sparse. This model-based analysis assessed the clinical and economic trade-offs involved in using catheter ablation or the Cox maze procedure in treating patients with atrial fibrillation. ⋯ At a societal willingness to pay of $100,000/QALY, Cox maze procedure was found to both increase overall and quality-adjusted survival and constitute an effective use of resources in patients with atrial fibrillation.
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The LixiLan clinical trials of insulin glargine (iGlar)/lixisenatide fixed-ratio combination (iGlarLixi) investigated the safety and efficacy of iGlarLixi versus iGlar: LixiLan-O (NCT02058147) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) inadequately controlled on oral antidiabetes drugs (OADs) and LixiLan-L (NCT02058160) in patients with T2D inadequately controlled on basal insulin ± OADs. In these two trials, both iGlar and iGlarLixi were titrated to a maximum (capped) dose of 60 units. We evaluated whether this may have affected the reported glycemic efficacy of iGlar, and the glycemic differences observed between treatment with iGlarLixi and iGlar. ⋯ Uncapping the iGlar dose in LixiLan-O and LixiLan-L would not have led to significant improvements in mean A1C reduction in the iGlar arm, supporting the conclusion that iGlarLixi provides additional, clinically relevant glycemic control versus iGlar alone.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
A randomized controlled trial comparing tapentadol with oxycodone in non-breastfeeding women post elective cesarean section.
Tapentadol may allow greater pain relief with reduced "opioid load" compared to oxycodone. Its use has not been studied in the obstetric population. The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy and side effect profile of tapentadol with oxycodone in patients who received spinal anesthesia for elective cesarean section. The trial was registered with EU Clinical Trials Register with CT number 2016-001621-33. ⋯ Tapentadol did not provide superior pain control or improved tolerability compared to oxycodone post cesarean section. Results should be interpreted however with consideration of administration of intrathecal opioids to all patients in this study and debate over the optimal dose of tapentadol for acute pain.